Technology, like fashion, is cyclical in nature. Here’s the proof: Dell has put on its Hot Hits 1998 CD and created a lineup of Inspiron PCs with interchangeable faceplates, obviously inspired by the Nokia 5110 phone.
Powered by Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, rocking a 15-inch screen and with a starting price of $699, the laptop’s key feature is the interchangeable lid. Dubbed Switch, there are 25 new “eye-popping” lids (according to the press release). While my eyes didn’t exactly pop while browsing the designs, some did make my mind cringe, which I guess is more or less the same effect.
Still, Sandy Bridge laptops that you can personalise for under $700 is a pretty good deal, despite the fact the lids are at least $39 each.
[Dell]
Andrew
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 11:01 AMthe link is dead.
DoctorOwl
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 11:02 AMPretty stupid selling point, especially when vinyl decals are widely available and used. Sure, you can’t swap them out so easily, but who buys half a dozen different colours and swaps those when the rest of the laptop is staying the same?
I’ve had one decal on mine for the past year or so and I never plan on changing it.
Callie Rasmussen
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 3:22 PMI have a US-purchased Toshiba Qosmio that has the metallic red housing and flames on it and honestly, I’d like to be able to change that. I bought it because it had the best specs at the time, not because of what it looked like and there are some kinds of designs that a vinyl decal just can’t cover (this thing has curves in tricky places…just like Nick’s mom).
Owen
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 11:19 AM5110 smartphone?
Are we thinking of the same 5110?
Nick Broughall
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 12:13 PMHey, what’s smarter than different coloured faceplates?
(*quiet facepalm*)
Owen
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 1:01 PMAh, I see what you did there.
Theophilus
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 3:30 PMI think it’s a pretty cool idea to be honest.
I don’t know any other laptops that have changeable lids. Young people will definitely like it because they want to be “different” and express themselves.
It’s quite an interesting and innovative idea.
And people always buy heaps of phone covers and keep changing them depending on what they feel like at any given time. And those are quite pricey.
Just because it doesn’t appeal to you, doesn’t mean other people won’t like it.
Monique
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 3:31 PMYeah I agree with Theophilus.
I’m in 1st year uni and I think it’d be pretty cool to change my laptop lid..
Sir
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 4:17 PMSustainable design, in the sense that idiot consumers can continue to have some plastic crap to spend their money on.
A.a. Fussy
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 7:24 PMApple did something like this with their PowerBook 1400 series laptops back in the 90′s.
These also had a lid with a clear removable part called BookCover that you could stick sonething to the removable cover to change its looks, if I remember correctly (I owned one of those for many years).